Over the past several years, e-commerce stores have proliferated at a massive rate. By some reckonings, there are more than 12 million e-commerce stores on the Web today, many of them hosted by Shopify, a lot of them focused on print on demand products.
This is a boon to the consumer, but it poses some challenges for print on demand store owners. With so much competition, how can your Shopify store stand out? If you can’t break through and drive some real traffic to your store, then your print on demand business is going to flounder.
Thankfully, there are a few tried-and-true methods you can use to boost traffic, propelling your Shopify store to greater success.
Driving Traffic to Your Shopify Store
1) Set up a Google Merchant account.
With a Google Merchant account, you can set up Google Shopping ads, which will allow your products to be shown across Google’s various platforms. These ads are free, which is a two-edged sword: It’s a great option for merchants with smaller budgets, though it probably means your vertical will be crowded and competitive. Nevertheless, it can be a worthwhile way to drum up some traffic for your print on demand shop.
2) Run paid social media ads.
To drive traffic to your Shopify store, you’ll need to get some ads in front of motivated, qualified customers. Social media platforms represent a great way to do this, as they allow you to turn on various demographic filters to ensure your ads are only being served to a highly targeted audience. The question is, which platform makes the most sense for your print on demand business? That depends on the audience you’re trying to reach, but as a rule of thumb, we think Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest are all worth considering.
3) Seek organic reach on social media.
Paid activity should always be paired with organic reach. Some general rules of thumb here:
- Join the conversation! If your print on demand brand has its own accounts, make sure you engage with customers/visitors, drumming up enthusiasm for your products.
- Take the time to answer questions, and also provide good customer service for anyone who has a complaint or a concern.
- Remember that giveaways, contests, and promotions can be the very best tools for generating traffic for your Shopify store. The same goes for using social media to share time-sensitive discounts.
- Connect with influencers, specifically on Instagram, and ask about sending them free samples.
A robust social media strategy, pairing organic and paid reach, is tough to beat.
4) Start an email newsletter.
As you build a customer base, be sure you compile email addresses to send out a monthly or twice-monthly newsletter.
Email is an excellent way to reach consumers on their phones, and potentially to spur an on-the-spot purchase. Some specific strategies for an effective email newsletter include:
- Make sure you promote new products.
- Offer exclusive previews to your subscribers, helping them feel “in the know.”
- Remember to include time-sensitive, subscriber-only discounts from time to time!
5) Engage in content marketing.
Content marketing remains a very good way to draw attention to your brand, and to establish your credibility among consumers. Some examples:
- Write a blog post that speaks to how your products solve a problem or meet a need.
- Make YouTube videos or Instagram Reels showing off new products.
- Livestream a Q&A session, allowing customers to bring any inquiries they have about your print on demand products.
In all of your content marketing efforts, remember to include a strong call to action, pointing people back to your Shopify store. This is ultimately how content marketing can help you boost traffic to your print on demand business.
Propel Your Shopify Print on Demand Business to New Heights
There’s no quick-fix, overnight solution to significantly boost online traffic. With the right strategy, however, you can pave the way to ongoing, long-term results.
At Gooten, we are committed to helping our print on demand partners succeed, whether on Shopify or on other platforms. Contact us with any additional questions about achieving print on demand success.
